Walking or wading in deep mud is difficult. It is helpful to have something for a person wading to push against as they walk, pulling their foot out of the mud with each step. The yanking effort often necessary to pull a foot from soft mud can be damaging to a wader's knees and hips. This invention is a wading stick to be used when wading in an area with mud. A traditional wading stick sinks in mud and is of little use. A fixed shape basket with openings—like that used on ski poles—might slightly help prevent a walking stick from sinking in the mud, but it would soon accumulate mud and become heavy, unbalanced, and impractical. The present invention addresses the long felt need for a walking stick that is useful in mud, particularly when the user is wading in water and the stability afforded by a walking stick is important.